PALO, LEYTE — The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 8 delegation, under the leadership of Regional Director FCSUPT Aldwin M. Salazar, joined the opening day of the Incident Command System (ICS) Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) at the Tropics Hotel, MacArthur Park, Palo, Leyte, on September 21, 2026.
Inter-Agency Participation and U.S. Coast Guard Facilitation
The joint capacity-building session gathered disaster response leadership and emergency management agencies from across Eastern Visayas:
BFP Leadership Delegation: Assistant Regional Director for Administration FSSUPT Fritzie G. Manatad and Assistant Regional Director for Operations FSSUPT Ellafil A. Libarnes headed the BFP Region 8 delegation alongside six commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
U.S. Coast Guard Mentorship: The United States Coast Guard facilitated the Day 1 exchange as primary subject matter experts, sharing technical frameworks for tactical operational response and unified command structures.
Participating Agencies: Inter-agency delegates included representatives from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Army (PA), Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Tacloban City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO).
Operational Interoperability and Command Objectives
The multi-agency exchange aims to align local and national emergency management protocols across the Visayas region:
Unified Command System: Practical sessions focused on implementing standard Incident Command System protocols to manage complex disaster scenarios and multi-jurisdictional emergency responses.
Interagency Coordination: Participants reviewed joint communication protocols, tactical resource allocation, and integrated command structures designed to streamline disaster response during major natural hazards and regional crises.
